Manual High School girls basketball team, under the coaching of Dennis Brown, won the 1986 large high school State Basketball Championship. This State AA Championship team won 27 games while losing only 3. Because of his team's achievements, Dennis received special recognition. He was named IBCA Girls' High School AA Coach of the Year in 1986, and was assigned as Coach of the IBCA Girls AA All-Star Game in the same year. Dennis' high school girls basketball coaching record is 153 wins and 72 losses.

His first recognition in coaching basketball came when his 7th grade boys won a State Championship for Trewyn Junior High in 1977. In the same year, Dennis' heavyweight boys basketball team also won a State Championship. As a result, he was named IBCA Junior High North Coach of the Year.

Dennis is especially proud of the achievements of his athletes. Since 1983, he has had three players chosen for All-State, two players chosen by Street and Smith, Parade and Converse as All-Americans.

Gene Petty was one of the most talented all-around athletes ever to play for Peoria Manual High School - or any other local high school.

Playing in the late 1950s, Petty was all-state first team in baseball and football and was selected to the all-city team in basketball.

As a 6-foot-1, 185 pound halfback, Petty was selected to the first team all-City team in both 1956 and 1957, playing a key offensive role on Ken Hinrichs-coached teams that went 8-1-1 in 1956 and 7-1-2 in 1957.

"I've always felt he was as good an athlete as we've had come out of Peoria," praises Hinrichs. "He's right alongside the best we've had."

Wooed by both the Big Ten and the Big Eight, Petty accepted a football scholarship to Missouri over Illinois and Michigan. But he never got around to college football.

Also an outstanding shortstop, he selected baseball over football and signed a $30,000 bonus contract with the Chicago Cubs after his senior year at Manual.

He was sent to Paris, Ill., of the Midwest League to close out the 1958 season and divided 1959 between Paris and Carlsbad, New Mexico in the Cub chain.

He played at St. Cloud, Minn., in the Northern League through the 1960 and 1961 seasons and then decided to leave professional baseball.

But he was not done with sports.

In 1963 Buffalo Bills coach Lou Saban signed him to an $8,000 contract as a place kicker, but he never appeared in an NFL game.

Always a fine golfer, after returning home, he concentrated on his links game and played 15 years in Championship flight in the city tournament, being medalist one year. He also qualified for five Peoria Publinks teams.

He joined the Peoria Park District in golf management and at the time of his induction was golf professional at Madison golf course.